Content
- Puppy with swollen eye: what can it be?
- Dog with swollen eye: congenital causes
- Dog with swollen eye: trauma and injuries
- Dog with sore eye: allergy
- Dog with puffy eyes: infections
- Dog with puffy eyes: eye diseases
- Dog with swollen eyes: eyelid or conjunctival masses
- Dog with swollen eyes: neoplasms (tumors)
- Puppy with puffy eyes: idiopathic (unknown)
- Swollen eyes: how to diagnose
- Inflamed dog's eye: what to do
- Treatment
- What to do?
- Inflamed Dog Eye: Other Associated Symptoms
A dog's head and eyes are one of the first regions of the body that handlers look at when communicating with their pet. Therefore, any type of changes or problems that arise in these areas are more easily identified, especially if they involve an inflamed eye.
Swollen eyes are often associated with allergic reactions, but they can also be associated with other illnesses that may not have an allergic origin and may be more serious.
If you are looking to know more about puppies with puffy eyes: causes and treatment, keep reading this article by PeritoAnimal and we'll explain everything to you.
Puppy with swollen eye: what can it be?
Swollen eyes can affect one or more constituent parts of the eye, including: the eyelids, eyeball, or other circumscribed areas of the eye.
Usually when we notice the puffy dog's eye, the clinical sign is associated with a eyelid inflammation (designated by blepharitis) and can have numerous causes.
Dog with swollen eye: congenital causes
Some of Congenital Causes of Puppy Eyes include eyelid and eyelash anomalies such as:
- Ectopic eyelashes (eyelashes that grow on the inside of the eyelid and grow towards the eye);
- Distichiasis (inversion of the normal direction of all eyelashes towards the eye, causing them to touch the eyeball and causing irritation and injury);
- entropion (inversion of the eyelid to the inside of the eye);
- Lagophthalmos animals (that cannot fully close their eyes).
Dog with swollen eye: trauma and injuries
THE presence of foreign body (eyelashes, pollen, dust, sand, splinters) cause discomfort and pain in the animal's eye due to abrasion and injury to the cornea (the transparent layer that protects the eyes), which causes excessive tearing and blinking, in addition to the dog with puffy eyes.
Scratches, bites, lacerations or burns cause damage to one or more eye structures that can end in blindness if not treated in time. Usually only affects one eye.
Dog with sore eye: allergy
Usually in cases of allergies we have a dog with swollen eye and itching, may be red and watery, with clear watery secretion, depending on the allergic origin.
Allergies can be food, due to insect bites (bees, mosquitoes, fleas, ants), inhalation of allergens (such as pollen) or allergy to toxic products. It can affect only one eye or both.
Dog with puffy eyes: infections
Most infections involve a dog with swollen red eye. They can be caused by different types of agents: bacterial (Staphylococcus and Streptococci), viral, fungal and parasitic.
Distemper is a viral infection in which one of the symptoms is yellow or whitish eye discharge, accompanied by coughing and diarrhea, loss of appetite and, in severe cases, seizures.
Dog with puffy eyes: eye diseases
THE conjunctivitis in dog is the most common eye condition, one or both of the eyes is very red, swollen and itchy.
THE keratitis (inflammation in the cornea), as well as the keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) develop when the eye has insufficient tear production, resulting in a desiccation of the cornea and, consequently, a dry and sometimes swollen eye.
O glaucoma occurs when eye fluids do not circulate or drain properly and accumulate. This causes an increase in intraocular pressure and if left unchecked can lead to blindness. Glaucoma causes redness, itching, and excess drooling in the dog's eye. Breeds such as Poodle, Chow Chow and Cocker Spaniel are the most predisposed to this disease.
Dog with swollen eyes: eyelid or conjunctival masses
If you noticed your dog with a sore eye, the symptom can also be explained by eyelid or conjunctival masses, the mucosa that lines the inside of the eyelid. There are benign masses such as papillomas (wart-like) that can appear on the dog's eyelid. In this case, the veterinarian will check whether it is really benign or not and will decide which treatment is best to use.
Dog with swollen eyes: neoplasms (tumors)
certain neoplasms they can manifest as malignant masses in the dog's eye and cause the animal discomfort every time it blinks. Despite being in a sensitive location and entailing certain risks, it is advisable to surgically remove the tumor as soon as possible to avoid a more serious condition.
Puppy with puffy eyes: idiopathic (unknown)
After all hypotheses have been ruled out, and in recurrent cases of eye inflammation, the veterinarian diagnoses the inflammation as idiopathic. It is important to note that the third eyelid (also called nictitating membrane), which is normally not visible, may become swollen, becoming visible, protruding and giving a cherry-eye appearance (teaery eye).
Another important curiosity is that puppies can have eyes with a lot of secretions and not be able to open their eyes due to swelling. In this case, you should let the mother wash them, or, if this is not possible, you should very carefully clean the puppy's eyes with a swab soaked in warm saline.
Diabetes can also be one of the causes of inflamed dog eye.
Swollen eyes: how to diagnose
Blepharitis can occur at any age, gender or race, but some breeds of dogs are more predisposed to this disease due to congenital or anatomical abnormalities (brachycephalic dogs, with a short snout and larger eyes, or dogs with a lot of hair around the eyelids). Examples are: Collies, Shih Tzus, Rottweilers, Chow chow, Golden and Labrador Retrievers, Pugs, English and French Bulldogs and Shar peis.
In addition to the characteristics inherent to the animal (age, gender, breed), it is necessary to know its entire history: if it ate something different from normal, if it has access to the backyard or outside, if it may have been in contact with insects such as spiders, wasps , bees, ants or other animals and if you have had contact with plants, toxic products or medicines. This type of information is essential to help the veterinarian detect the diagnosis. The faster the diagnosis, the faster the treatment and the better the prognosis.
Inflamed dog's eye: what to do
Treatment
During the consultation, the veterinarian will perform a complete eye exam which may include tests such as blood and urine analysis, skin cytology to check for microorganisms, fluorescein test for corneal lesions, Schirmer test to measure tear production, intraocular pressure test to rule out glaucoma, fundus test. eye and vision test.
O treatment will depend on the cause Underlying, however, the common treatment in all diseases is the topical application of eye drops (eye drops) to restore the integrity of the eye. It may be necessary to use the Elizabethan collar during the first few days of treatment to prevent the dog from scratching and scratching its eyes.
The doctor can also prescribe:
- Antihistamines (in cases of allergy)
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (to reduce inflammation)
- Corticosteroids (to reduce inflammation and eliminate itching)
- Antibiotics, antifungals or antiparasitics (for infections)
- Surgery (in the event of a foreign body endangering the integrity of the eye and other circumscribed structures)
Don't forget, never self-medicate your pet to avoid much worse complications!
What to do?
If you see that the animal scratches a lot or tries to move the eye a lot, put on an Elizabethan necklace, if you have one at home, until you can go to the veterinarian with it.
You basic daily cleaning care for dogs with puffy eyes include:
- Clean the dog's eyes with a compress soaked in warm water if there are too many secretions and dry/hard bumps to soften and eliminate. Find out how in our article How to get rid of the dog.
- Then use another compress soaked in saline solution or put a few drops of saline directly into the animal's eye to clean or eliminate possible foreign bodies. It is important to keep the animal very still and hit the drop right in the eye. In puppies, a compress moistened with water or warm saline, three to four times a day.
- After that, follow the remaining prescribed treatment recommendations by the veterinarian.
Inflamed Dog Eye: Other Associated Symptoms
An inflamed or swollen eye usually has other associated eye symptoms, such as:
- Redness: it can affect the sclera (white part of the eye);
- Itch: causing the animal to scratch or scratch the region and rubbing itself on walls, floors or rugs, causing more serious injuries;
- scaly skin;
- Hair loss and depigmentation in the affected region;
- Loss of eyelashes;
- Pain and discomfort;
- Eye secretions: which can be watery (transparent and liquid), mucous (transparent or whitish) and purulent (green or yellowish color) and which can accumulate and solidify in the eyelashes or in the corner of the eye, forming the so-called remelas. If the ridges are green, it is a sign suggestive of infection;
- Increased tear production: (epiphora) or, on the contrary, decreased tear production (dry eye);
- Light sensitivity;
- More frequent blinks;
- Loss of visual acuity and blurred vision: the animal starts bumping into objects because its field of vision is diminished;
- Vision loss: (blindness) in severe cases.
Symptoms depend on what caused them. If it's local, the dog will experience localized swelling and pain, which may not allow him to close or open his eyes, depending on the location of the swelling. Also, you may have a dog with a swollen eye and drooling.
On the other hand, if it is something that the animal has ingested or some systemic disease, the animal may have the previous symptoms and still have vomiting and diarrhea. In more severe and prolonged cases the dog may become weaker, more lethargic and have a fever.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Puppy with puffy eyes: causes and treatment, we recommend that you enter our Other health problems section.